Drago Is My - Frenemy?
by Luna Bass
Summary: Through an unhappy accident, Jade winds up getting yanked back into the Netherworld. Under the menacing and cruel supervision of the demon sorcerers, she becomes unlikely allies with Drago. Together they plot to escape the Netherworld and get Drago's fire powers back from his dad - and hopefully will live to have other adventures later! NOT SLASH Rated T for safety.
1. Chapter 1

_Alright. This is my first Jackie Chan Adventures fanfic. I'm really excited, because I _totally obsessed_ over this show for _years_. It is one of my all-time favorites, and while I feel as though many of its ideas were not explored as fully as they should have been, there is no denying that it was a phenomenally great show, despite that shitty fifth season (ye gods, that shitty fifth season). This fanfic aims to remedy some of the plot holes, and we will be ignoring the time travel episode from the fifth season as well, because as a Whovian I am majorly upset by the resulting temporal paradoxes had that episode actually happened. Besides, it doesn't have any influence on the plot at all, because my God, that shitty fifth season._

_Sorry. Now, let us begin._

JCA

**A Malfunction in the Sewing Machine of the Universe – or, Jade's Second Trip to the Netherworld.**

Utter boredom. Dullsville. Jade Chan stared with glazed eyes through the teacher's whiteboard. She'd just started another school year in San Francisco, and it was proving to be as mind-numbing as the last one. No adventures, no bad guys, just another year of desks, tasteless lunches and number 2 pencils. Bor-ing.

A note slid onto her desk. Jade surreptitiously snuck a glance. There was at least one or two good things about a new homeroom. One, the schoolyard skeptic and her longtime rival, Drew, was in another class, and she got to be in the same room as her two friends Frank and Charlie. Unfortunately, Rocko was held back that year, but at least they got to see him at Dragon Scout meetings.

More to the point, Jade's existence in general had gotten much duller as well. With the defeat of Drago and his cronies a few months ago, she had been eager to see what big baddie was up next for a beating. No one had stepped forward yet, sadly enough. Not one ninja, not one magical artifact hunter, not so much as a purse snatcher. What was wrong with the forces of darkness? Uncle said that whenever one great evil fell, another would rise to take its place. So, where was the evil sucker?

The note from her friends said:

_**Meeting in the usual place. Bring pie.**_

Jade grinned. These days, her and her friends were up to pranks that would make the Monkey King jealous of their skills. From the shortness of the message and lack of detail, it was probably Rocko's idea, passed to Charlie or Frank at lunch. Jade curved her hand over the edge of her desk and glanced around the classroom, catching her friends' gazes. The two boys did the same. Jade nodded, and carefully, furtively, tore up the note into little pieces.

As Mr Alderman droned on and on and on about the colonization of the Spaniards, Jade quietly drew out a straw from her desk.

_SPLOT._ The spitwad landed on the back of his left shoulder. The teacher halted in the middle of drawing his time line as the class started giggling. Mr Alderman turned menacingly towards Jade, still holding the guilty straw in her mouth, and gave her the mother of all evil eyes. Jade, who had stood firm and fierce against demons and evil wizards and death threats, withered under the gaze of one who could only give her extra homework or complain to her guardians. Being so young as yet, her perception of 'being in trouble' still needed work.

Mr Alderman audibly gritted his teeth. "Detention, Miss Chan. You will spend the next three Saturdays at school, doing the extra work I'm going to give you. Now give me the straw." Grumbling, Jade handed it over, and sulkily doodled for the rest of class in her notebook. If he had faced any of the Oni or demon sorcerers, he wouldn't have stood a chance. Mr Alderman would've run away screaming and pissing his pants. Jade drew numerous adventures for him, facing her numerous enemies and each time encountering an inevitable sticky end. Although – Jade hid her grin as she drew her teacher sinking into a puddle of goo – that wasn't to say that it hadn't been worth it. That moment of giggles and laughter to relieve the monotony – that moment of sweet revenge – had indeed been worth three days of detention.

After a few more hours, the bell rang to signify the end of the day, and Jade raced out the front doors, reveling in her newly found freedom. "Hey Jade, wait for us!" Jade stopped short as Frank and Charlie ran to catch up with her. They had gotten out their skateboards. Jade grinned. The epic way to the secret hideout it was.

The three children flew down alleyways and little-used roads, stopping by a bakery to get some pie. Her friends laughed like nothing was faster than them as they performed flips, jumps, and other stunts their moms would never be around to see. Jade just smiled. When you've jumped out of an airplane and flown with talisman magic, there's not much that can compare.

Finally, they stopped in front of an old townhouse that looked like it ought to be condemned. Charlie kicked open the door, which was always unlocked, and the three rushed up the stairs, where Rocko was waiting. Since he usually took the bus home, Rocko had to find another route to the clubhouse; since he lived nearby, he was usually there before they were. The boy grinned, holding up a pair of custard pies. "You know Drew and his gang? They always hang out at the arcade?"

Jade scowled. "Yeah. Those jerks have made fun of me more than – oooohhh." She grinned. "What's your plan, Rocky-boy?"

"A little game I like to call 'Ninja Pies'. We're gonna have to be very careful about how we do this. Now, here's the plan..."

_The Arcade, Half an Hour Later_

Drew, Stacy, Manny, Lois and Jerry were taking turns on the dance machine. Drew laughed as Manny failed miserably, and stepped up to take his turn. The pink square lit up, and as he put his foot down – _splat!_ It landed in a lemon meringue pie. "Huh?" Drew slipped, and fell on his butt as a cherry pie appeared in the place where he landed. His friends, freaking out, ran from the arcade. "Hey, guys, wait for me!" He ran after them, and got a custard pie in his face for his efforts. Drew cried out and blinded by pie, he ran straight into the door frame, whacking his forehead. He fell backwards, and his fall was broken by two more pies.

Drew ran screaming from the arcade, babbling about Jade Chan having put a curse on him. The gang left with Cheshire cat grins on their faces, running till they were out of sight of suspicious eyes. They laughed and laughed.

"It's totally awesome having access to Section 13 teleportation gadgets," Frank said, wiping a tear from his eye.

"Yeah, but I kinda wish I hadn't thrown away the talismans. It would've been even cooler if we used invisibility and super-speed." Jade said with a sigh of regret. "The things one must sacrifice to save the world."

Charlie's cell phone started ringing. "Aw, man, my mom's callin'. See you guys tomorrow."

"Not me. I've got," Jade sighed deeply. "_Detention._" She said the word like it meant a gloomy dungeon complete with torture devices. The four children went their separate ways, Jade speeding off to the underground base that was her home to return the tech before Kepler noticed it was gone.

_That Night, in Section 13_

_ It was dark, and cold, and Jade couldn't see a thing. The floor was cold beneath her bare feet. The air was still, and there was not a sound to be heard, not a single one. She just kept running, panting with fear, though she didn't know why. She tripped, and fell, and tumbled down a hole. As her eyes suddenly adjusted to the darkness in a way they had not up above, it only took her a few seconds to realize where she was, and it sent chills down her spine. The Shadow Realm._

_ Floating aimlessly in opaque, inescapable darkness, Jade heard screams of delight and laughter; cold, deep, mocking laughter, laughter that struck fear in the hearts of all who heard it. Jade tried to run, but found herself caught and quickly entangled in the shadowy arms of ninjas. She cried out in pain as they clutched at her arms and legs hard enough that her hands and feet felt numb. Jade couldn't move, no matter how hard she tried. "Get me out of here! Somebody – anybody, help me!"_

_ "Anybody?" The marrow of Jade's bones chilled at the reply. She knew that voice "Are you sure, Jade? Or should I say, Queen of the Shadowkhan? You could command them to let you go, you know – if you chose to take command. You could, you know -" A face began to materialize in the darkness, a face that Jade dreaded ever seeing again; the thought made her knees tremble and her shoulders to shake. "You would only have to ask."_

_ "No! No, I'm never going there again, you sick floating head! I'll never join the darkness – not now, not ever!"_

_ The orange Oni sighed, his face fully materialized now. "A pity. I was hoping to do this the easy way. Very well then." A ninja appeared with a vial of black liquid. The Oni looked at her with a cruel, twisted smile in his cold green eyes, the color of jade. "Time to drink up. Say 'aah'."_

_ Jade kicked and screamed, but the ninja held her fast, as the other shadowkhan drew closer – and closer still. "No – no! Don't! I won't let you! Jackieeeee! Uncle Jackie, hellllllllllp!" _

Jade woke up in her bed, gasping and drenched in sweat. She curled up in the fetal position and started to cry in fear. When she was finished, she hurried and turned on all the night lights in the room, and then cowered in her bed again, terrified of the slightest shadow until she calmed down and the adrenaline left her system.

These nightmares were getting too frequent for Jade's liking. She'd been having them ever since she had first come face to face with the Lord of the Oni, Tarakudo, but now she'd been having them every night for the past two weeks. Granted, they'd been worse when she was actually fighting the Shadowkhan, but the fact she was still having them worried her. Jade wanted to tell Jackie and Uncle about them, but something made her hold her tongue. She'd started telling Tohru, one of her best friends, and somehow she'd changed the subject, without even knowing she was doing it. Jade was starting to wonder if she should see a shrink.

Jade glanced at her clock. 6:32. Might as well get up. She dressed and went out of her room. She passed one of the agents in the hall. He gave her a friendly greeting, and noted that she was up early. Jade smiled and returned the greeting, but ignored the question.

She found herself at the open door of Jackie's room; it looked like he was packing for a trip. "Hey, Jackie, whatcha doin'?"

Jackie yelled and jumped about a foot in the air. "Jade, you scared me. What are you doing up this early?"

"I woke up early. You're packing for a trip – where are you going? On a mission?"

"Sort of. Remember Uncle's detection spell?"

Jade nodded. A while ago, Uncle had set up a detection spell in Section 13 so that Captain Black and the other agents could find out about any magical disturbances in the western hemisphere as they were happening. That way, they could rush to the scene and check out whether or not there was a new evil.

"There was a big blip detected just off the coast of Rio de Janeiro. Uncle, Tohru, Captain Black and I are going to check it out right now."

"Awesome! I'm coming with!"

"No, Jade, you're not."

Jade's face fell. "Seriously? After all this time you haven't realized how helpful I've been? I've saved your -"

"Don't get the wrong idea, Jade; I would bring you along, but you've got detention today, remember?" Jackie folded his arms and looked sharply down at his niece. Jade folded her own arms and looked sulky.

"If I'd known this was going to happen, I wouldn't have told you about it," she grumbled.

_Some Time Later_

What a perfect way to avoid detention. Jade grinned as the plane reached full altitude. Rio de Janeiro, here she came! It was way too late to send her back to school now. Although – she grunted as she moved into a more comfortable position – hiding in a luggage compartment wasn't the most comfy way to travel.

"TOHRU! BRING UNCLE TEA!"

Tohru sighed. "Yes, sensei." While he was no longer Uncle's student, he still technically worked for him, at least as much to the extent that Jackie did. As an honorary member of the Chan family, he had learned to humor the old patriarch. Tohru poured the tea into the cups for each of them.

Jackie sighed. "I almost wish Jade were here; I'm so used to her tagging along -"

"Tohru, might as well pour fourth cup. Jade could be hiding on plane."

"Are there orange slices?" Jade asked as she opened the compartment and clambered down.

"Jade! Not again. You are so grounded when we get back to San Francisco!"

Jade rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay, same deal as usual." She inwardly grinned at Jackie's relieved expression. He'd probably have worried she was sick if she'd failed to sneak aboard.

Tohru poured her a cup, and she sat down on the seat Captain Black had occupied until he went to the bathroom. "So what's the scoop?"

"Uncle's spell has detected a – ow!" Jackie massaged his forehead where it had been struck. "What was that for, Uncle?"

"Uncle will explain situation himself! Uncle's spell has detected a rift in the time-space continuum – one showing vast amounts of magical residue. It could lead to another dimension – strange creatures could step through if the the rift is left unsealed!" Uncle zipped open a duffel bag to check his tools for damage. Dried lizards and blowfish were very susceptible to rot.

"So we're going to seal it up? Cool! What if something comes through? Are we going to fight it?"

"We'll just have to find a way to send it back." This from Tohru. "If it is dangerous and could harm someone, then we will fight it."

"Hey, guys, - oh, tea! Gah! What's Jade doing here?" Captain Black had returned from the lavatory.

"Tsh. I snuck aboard, duh. Aren't you used to this by now?"

Black frowned. "You could at least give me my seat back." Jade politely scooted over to sit between Jackie and Uncle. Black sat down, though he didn't ask for tea. Jade pulled out her backpack. For reasons she herself was unsure of, she had brought it along. Jade zipped it open. Her notebook, a few pens, a pair of binoculars, half a bag of trail mix and a pile of used gum wrappers. Might as well bring it all along; you never knew what might come in handy. Jade zipped it back up, and before long her head was nodding. She yawned like a cat. A nap might be in order; after all, she had gotten up at 6:30 in the morning. Using her backpack as a pillow, she took the seat across the aisle from the grownups as they discussed the preparations for whatever might be on the other side of the rift. Whatever. Jade slowly drifted away from the waking world, slipping into slumber. Jackie smiled, and felt guilty that Jade had turned out to be such a hero. He was putting her life in danger, something no child should have to go through. If only she had been older, less impressionable when she had come to America – if only she hadn't wound up being raised fighting the forces of darkness. Jackie bit his lip, and returned to the conversation at hand, his thoughts put aside but never forgotten.

_She was suspended, weightless in midair. Jade looked about her, and realized with a sickening feeling in the pit of her stomach where she was. "Oh, no. Not here again!" Screeches and howls of bloodthirsty warriors came from some distance behind her._

_ "There! There she is!" Jade gasped as the voice of Ikazuki boomed from the same direction. "There is the girl that placed the mask on Lord Tarakudo's face! After her!" Without stopping to wonder, Jade fled screaming in fear, with the breath of Oni on her heels, dodging swords and throwing stars by the breadth of a hair. _

_ "And where do you think you're going?" The face of Tarakudo appeared in the air before her. Jade skidded to a halt. On one side was Tarakudo, on the other were Ikazuki and his Shadowkhan. She was trapped!_

"Jade. Jade, wake up!" Jade's eyes opened in a flash as she woke with a start. "We're here," Jackie said with a smile. Jade bounced off the seat, trying to smile as though she'd had pleasant dreams.

They got straight down to the wharf from the airfield, and rented a boat and life jackets. Uncle and Tohru were holding their chi tools, a lizard and a blowfish, respectively, and they began to use these to search for the rift as Captain Black started the motor. They sped off into the open sea.

"Uncle has located the rift!" Uncle held his lizard high in the air, pointing slightly to the north. "Over there!"

"Well, duh." The rift was huge, like a giant pillar of crackling energy. Captain Black steered the boat to circle it. Jade, who was leaning over the edge of the boat, was so close she could almost touch it.

"Nothing appears to have come through. Tohru! Prepare to begin sealing the rift!"

"Yes, sensei." Jackie noticed that Jade was reaching out with her hand.

"Jade! I don't think you should -" but it was too late.

As Jade felt a jolt of energy spike up her arm, she realized that she had done something really, really stupid far too late. _I thought I knew better than this,_ Jade thought as she felt her arm nearly get yanked out of its socket, pulling the rest of her body into the rift. The twelve-year-old was sucked in like a drink through a straw, sealing the rift behind her, leaving four men with their mouths hanging open and shock and dismay in their hearts and faces. Three of them thought, _oh no, not again._

Uncle was first to recover. "We must find what dimension Jade has been transported to. It will take a powerful locator spell to make it work, but hopefully Uncle can manage it." Then Uncle noticed the three others still staring at the spot where Jade had vanished. _Pow! Pow! Pow!_ They yelped as Uncle brought them to their senses with his two-fingered strike. "No time for lollygagging! Must get back to land to perform locator spell NOW!"

It was like falling out of an airplane, only if the Earth's gravity was like Jupiter's. She was rocketing towards her destination, wherever it might be, like she'd been shot out of a cannon at lightspeed. Jade thought her arm was going to get ripped off, it hurt so bad. She couldn't even draw breath to scream as she was put under higher and higher pressure until -

The rift finally spat her out onto solid ground. Jade gasped, welcoming air into her lungs. She heard a great _thooming_ sound behind her, the sound of a sealing portal. "No no no no no no no!" Jade turned around, but the rift was gone. She was stranded.

Then Jade noticed something worse. Something that trumped all the other bad things, something that most certainly and indubitably trumped detention. Something that struck home as being in worse trouble than if she had done much, much worse things in class than shoot spitwads.

"Aw, man; not again. Bad day." Jade gazed around her, and in every direction in an orange sky were barren floating islands and rocks, nothing but that as far as the eye could see. The Netherworld again. Crap.

JCAJCAJCA

_Well, how do you like? Please, be honest, but also please don't be rude. I know this is a rather short beginning, but we'll be getting to the main plot soon enough. Anyhoo, this is chapter one. Hopefully I'll be coming up with the next chapter soon!_


	2. Chapter 2

_Okay. Wow. I didn't expect to get this many reviews or followers this early on. But that's great – I hope more people review soon! _

_I'm starting to realize that "Grudge Buddies" might not be the best title for this fic. I'd like it if some people would send some suggestions in the review section, so I can get brainstorming for a better title. A slice of triple chocolate cake for the ones I like the best! Anyway, chapter two._

_Disclaimer: If I owned Jackie Chan Adventures, I would be wondering what I was smoking to hire the writers for the fifth season._

JCAJCAJCAJCAJCAJCAJCA

"_Hiding only delays the inevitable." - Tso Lan_

**Drago is Being Tortured – Or, Jade Has a Journal?!**

** _The Netherworld: Day Three._**

_** Today, I finally got a message from Uncle. He's found out where I am, and he's promised that somehow he and Tohru will make a portal for me to exit the Netherworld. I hope he hurries. My trail mix is running low.**_

_** But in the meantime, I've found the perfect vantage point from which to study the demons and not be discovered. It's a tiny crack of a cave in the side of one of the islands; it's a little snug, but it has a hole just big enough to peep through and get an awesome view. For my first two days here, I had to go without water because I didn't dare get close enough to Bai Tsa to collect it, but it turns out that you can collect condensation from the little drops that form on the roof of the cave, so I'm a little less thirsty. For the first time ever, I'm glad I didn't skip science class. **_

_** I've finally managed to make some observations about the demon sorcerers. It looks like they've taken back their chi from Drago; he's normal-sized now. And it also looks like they were pretty mad about it, too – they keep him locked up in this green chi spell bubble thingy. Ugh, not a good description. It looks kind of like a hamster ball, only green and floating and big.**_

_** It looks as though the only thing they have to eat here is salt from the surrounding rocks that Dai Gui digs up – makes me extra glad I brought along trail mix. They give Drago hardly any salt at all; I can see from this distance even without my binoculars that's he's practically starved. **_

_** But enough about Scaleface. I've learned some stuff about the demon sorcerers. From what I've heard from their arguments, Bai Tsa and Tso Lan are the eldest and twins, since around this time of year Bai Tsa always seems to be argue about whose birthday it is. Hsi Wu is the youngest, which I probably could've been able to tell without his siblings always putting him down because of it. The demonic jerks. Not that I feel sympathy for him, which I don't. **_

_** Shendu still has his talismans, and spends a lot of his time using them to break stuff in his little tantrums. Or should I say big tantrums? Doesn't matter. It's frustrating seeing the talismans so close, but not being able to get at them. What I wouldn't give for that spell of Uncle's. And maybe one of Kepler's teleportation gadgets. Tso Lan is every bit as creepy and scary as the last time I saw him; what's even weirder about him is that it looks like he has an endless supply of scrolls and books and chi spell supplies inside those robes of his – don't ask me how. He spend a lot of his time meditating and experimenting with his spells. Usually Drago is the one on the receiving end of these "experiments."**_

_** Funny thing is; they're always arguing about who gets to use Drago as a servant. His dad, Shendu, doesn't want him because Drago betrayed him (I can kind of see where he's coming from). Tso Lan claims he has the most right because his experiments "are important research and may one day be vital to their eventual escape." Hsi Wu's always whining that they never let him have anything, so he should have Drago; Bai Tsa says that she shouldn't have to scrub algae off her tail by herself (where does algae come from in a barren wasteland like the Netherworld?). Dai Gui says that he shouldn't have to do all the work looking for salt for the rest of them; Tchang Su said that he needs him for target practice. Po Kong needs a personal backscratcher and Shao Fung – well, I haven't found out what he wants him for yet, but he wants a servant too. They still haven't sorted anything out about it, so Drago kind of ends up being used for all of these this things at any given time, under pain of death if he disobeys. It almost makes me pity him. Almost. **_

_** I've run out of things to write about now. According to my watch, it's nearly 11:00 PM back home. Or in Rio de Janeiro, whichever matters. Goodnight for now.**_

JCAJCAJCAJCAJCAJCAJCAJCA

_** The Netherworld: Day Four**_

_** This morning Bai Tsa announced that tomorrow she would be holding a contest to relieve their boredom; as the only source of water here in the Netherworld, (ha!) she will give extra water to whichever demon could catch Drago first in a game called Dragonhunt – apparently, they'll basically give Drago a three hours head start to run and hide wherever or whatever he chooses, then they'll all hunt him down. Now I really feel sorry for him. No one should have to be the demon sorcerers' chew toy.**_

_** Other than that, nothing interesting today, other than Shao Fung passing gas in Po Kong's face. I'm down to nearly the last of my trail mix: fourteen nuts, eight dried cherries, twelve M&Ms, and seventeen raisins. I guess that's enough for about five and a half days, the way I've been rationing it. After that, I'll have to look for salt rocks or eat my gum wrappers. I could kill for a cheeseburger. **_

_** The nightmares have gotten worse. I don't know why they keep coming to me, even here in the Netherworld. The Oni are gone, for good; I should stop being scared, but I keep having these nightmares. Usually they're about being chased or kidnapped, but recently they've started to be more about **_**her****_. I have no idea why they're about _her_, Tarakudo never really pressed the matter of – well, going back. _**

_** I should get some sleep. The demons are settling down for the night – or whatever we call night down here. I only hope – well, you're my journal, you know what I'm hoping for. Good night, Jackie, wherever you are. Good night, Uncle; good night, Tohru. Good night, Captain Black. Jeez, at this rate I'll be saying good night to Drew. End entry!**_

_Earth, North America, Mexico: 3:00 PM on a Thursday. El Toro Fuerte's dressing room._

"So you see, El Toro, we need your help as a guide. You know your way better than us. Uncle's research indicates that that place will be the best spot to open a portal."

"For the little one, anything. If your niece is trapped in _el abismo_, I will do all in my power to help release her." [A/N el abismo means the abyss] El Toro Fuerte thumped his chest with his fist in the manner of a rough salute. Paco's eyes were wide with worry and fear.

"Yade is in the same place the _hechiceros demoníacos_? [A/N demon sorcerers] Is she all right? How did she get there?"

"Last I checked, Jade was fine. Hiding from demons, but fine. Jade is very good at taking care of herself. But we must hurry; every minute spent yakking here is a minute risking Jade being discovered!" Uncle was practically yelling. This whole incident had put him on edge.

Jackie groaned. Why did the place they needed to use to make a portal have to be so isolated and – out in the wilderness? It would likely be weeks before they reached it. Why did these things always happen to Jade; for once, why couldn't it be him who was in this kind of danger? It was always Jade who had to meet to pay the ransoms, Jade who had to be turned into a being of the shadows, Jade who had to remember the real timeline and get the J-team back together, Jade who had to be on the recieving end of death threats and kidnappings, while Jackie had to be satisfied with blackmail, rescuing her, and having his memories erased.

_I'm coming, Jade. I promise, after this is over, nothing else is going to put you in danger. No one else is going to try to kill you, no one else going to try to use you against me, no one else is going to scar your soul. You've had enough adventures for a long time. This time, its finally over; no kidding this time. When the next evil comes, I'm going to ignore it; let someone else fight for the side of good. My family has been put into too much danger since that day I first fought back._

_The Netherworld_

_**The Netherworld, Day Five**_

_** The Dragonhunt's just started. I can see Drago hopping from one rock to another, looking for a spot to hide. I hope he doesn't find my cave. If he came in, I don't know what I'd do. Or what he'd do. **_

_** I think he's picked a spot – he's not jumping around anymore. There's so little to write about right now. The demons don't start hunting for another two and a half hours, and I've just realized that I was so exhausted when I woke up this morning I ate a handful of gum wrappers. They taste like sugar and spit wads, and they leave a bad taste in your mouth that makes you want to throw up. From now on, I'm bringing full bags of trail mix and a ton of candy bars with me wherever I go, just in case something like **_**this**_** happens. I miss being able to get hot dogs at -**_

_** I just got a message from Uncle, through that transparent floating-head thing he does. He says it may take a few more weeks before they get to the spot where they can open a portal. A few more weeks! That's so not cool. I've had a hard enough time avoiding them for the past few days; it's going to be total hell trying to avoid them for the next few weeks! At least I'm safe here in my hiding place. I better not come out until the portal is ready.**_

_** Arrgh. I just realized that when my trail mix runs out I'm going to have to come out to look for salt. Or maybe not. I think I read somewhere that you can last for three weeks with just water. But I can't be sure. I think I'd rather get found out by those demons than starve to death, but I'd rather not have to choose! I hope Jackie hurries. **_

_** Still nothing to write about. I'll start writing again when something happens.**_

_** Dozed off! So far Tchang Su is taking the lead, with Tso Lan and Hsi Wu neck and neck, making a close second. Po Kong is coming in last, no surprise there. Drago's running like a maniac, all around in circles and zig-zags! He just ducked to avoid a lightning bolt from Tchang Su – whoa! Shendu's gaining on them! Things are happening too fast for me to write them down; I'm getting cramps already. **_

_** They're going in another direction; I have to use my binoculars. It's really kind of funny, seeing the six of them all chasing after Drago – reminds me of a cartoon I saw once when I was little. Hold on, six? Where's Hsi Wu? Maybe he's behind Po Kong, or another of the bigger**_

Jade felt a huge hand with enormous claws sieze in her in the middle of writing. She gasped, and the binoculars fell out of her peephole into the abyss. The arm persistently, roughly dragged her out, struggling and screaming. "Well, well, well," a voice hissed. Jade froze, and slowly turned to see the demon she already knew was there. Hsi Wu grinned, showing all his razor fangs. "Long time no see, Jade old buddy old pal. How's your uncle?"

_The Human World, Somewhere in the Yucatan_

Uncle felt a chill scamper up and down his spine, and an inner dread settled in the pit of his stomach. Hoping it was just indigestion, he popped a piece of garlic in his mouth and chewed it. But the chills wouldn't stop.

Tohru, noticing that his sensei had the willies, stopped in his tracks. "What is it, sensei?"

Uncle suddenly felt weak at the knees. "Jade."

_Back in the Netherworld_

Hsi Wu dangled her by the hood of her jacket for a few moments. "This is a surprise. I am, of course, curious as to how you got here, but oh well. As they say, one mustn't look a gift horse in the mouth."

"G-Gift horse?" Jade asked, confused and frightened.

"My revenge!" Hsi Wu snarled. His grip on her tightened, practically squeezing all the air of her lungs. Jade tried to breathe in, but just couldn't. Stars appeared in front of her eyes. "You, Jade Chan, were directly responsible for all three of my most recent defeats. My banishment from the human realm, my near escape by Shendu's portal, even the Book of Ages fiasco! You were the one who foiled all my victories! I, Hsi Wu, the demon of the Skies, have been beaten three times by – one – little – GIRL! Do you understand how humiliating that is? I mean, sure, it's something a number of the others can say as well, but ALL my defeats – you are one determined little bitch! And I _will_ make you suffer for doing this to me! And I know just how." Hsi Wu groped around inside the small cave. Cursing, his grip on her loosened as he shoved his arm in further. Jade gasped for air as her vision filled with little flickering lights. Hsi Wu brought out all that he'd found in the cave, which comprised of a life jacket, her journal and her pens. Jade silently thanked the Eight Immortals that she was wearing her backpack, which contained her trail mix.

Clutching Jade in one hand and her effects in the other, Hsi Wu gave wide, sadistic grin. "Let's see what my siblings think of your presence, shall we?" Dread filled her to the roots of her hair as Hsi Wu took flight. She was as good as dead.

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_That's chapter two. If I'm going too slow or too fast story-wise, don't be afraid to tell me. (but no flames, please) And don't forget to make new name suggestions!_


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter Three. I'm writing this faster than I thought I would. I guess Muses favor me recently, though I better not jinx it. Haven't got any suggestions yet, at least when I'm writing this. But, onward we go!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Jackie Chan Adventures; I was barely born when it first came out. So unless I was a genius baby, (which is actually rather likely) it is impossible for me to own that piece of intellectual property. _

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**Wariness, Anger and Suspicion on a Massive Scale – Or, Servitude to the Demon Sorcerers**

Jade was sweating so hard, she could swear that she was slipping out the Sky demon's claws. She was helpless to stop anything – what would they do with her? Torture her? Keep her as a pet? Feed her to Po Kong? How could this have happened to her?

Hsi Wu flew high overhead his brothers and sisters as they returned to Bai Tsa's special island from the hunt with Tchang Su victorious. "You have returned with our nephew, Tchang Su, but I have come back with a far greater prize!" He held Jade far above his head as she squirmed in his grasp. The demons stared up at her, and Shendu roared with equal parts fury, surprise and disbelief.

"HOW IS IT THAT CHAN'S NIECE HAS MADE HER WAY TO THE NETHERWORLD _AGAIN_?!" Shendu snarled.

"Your paranoia is irritating, Shendu. There is but a simple test to find out how she came to this dimension." This from Tso Lan, in the most terrifying voice a demon can have. His voice was no voice at all, having come from a mouth with no lips, but a vibration that seemed to echo from within one's own skull, cold as the dark side of the moon and with just the right intonations to drive a person mad. Jade felt sickening sensation settle in her stomach as she dreaded the solution Tso Lan was about to propose.

"I have within my possession a spell that causes all who have it cast upon them to tell the full and absolute truth to any question the caster cares to ask. It will last for seven questions, which, I believe is more than enough for our purposes." One of Tso Lan's smaller arms reached within his robes and pulled out a flask filled with a dark purple liquid. The vague association of a bad dream caused Jade to freeze in terror, then start kicking Hsi Wu's shins. A big mistake, as it turned out.

Face covered in sand after having had it ground into the dirt, and limp and aching all over from bruises, Jade was forced to face Tso Lan's spell, dangling from Hsi Wu's claws as he clutched her shoulders. Chanting in some lost, unknown dialect, Tso Lan spread the spell over over one of his larger arm's hand like a lotion. He clutched the crown of Jade's head, chanting faster and faster, and curled his fingers tighter and tighter until Jade thought her head was going to burst like a zit, then he released his hand. Jade felt her mind grow cloudy and fill with fog; her vision became strange, like she was seeing through a purple film on her eyes. Her focus drifted aimlessly, and landed on Drago, still in the clutches of Tchang Su. His head hung in the position of defeat, his eyes seemed almost - soulless. Like a vampire had sucked out his chi.

"Now," Tso Lan said. "How did you come to this dimension, mortal?"

Jade felt her mouth move and heard sounds come out; she answered dully, mechanically, as though she had been hypnotized. "There was a rift in the time-space continuum over the Atlantic Ocean. My uncles and I went to investigate. I got pulled through the rift, and it sealed behind me."

"Have your relatives contacted you in any way?"

Jade's mouth opened again, but somehow it was another who answered in her voice. "No. I have been abandoned." The confusion and unease that sprouted within her at this unexplainable lie cleared some of the fog in her mind. How did she lie? Was it her that lied? What had just happened?

"What is written in the small book that Hsi Wu confiscated from you?"

This time, Jade herself answered. "It's a journal documenting everything I've experienced while here." The fog returned, and all knowledge of the other entity who had answered in her stead sank into the murky, muddy depths of the subconscious mind, never to be uncovered.

"So you have been spying on us?"

"I didn't have anything else to do other than survive."

"Make her tell us about Chan!" This from Bai Tsa, hissing as she said it.

"Does your uncle, Jackie Chan, have magical or tactical weaknesses that you know of?"

"No. Uncle Jackie doesn't use magic unless it's necessary. He always relies on martial arts, and I'm just his student, so I wouldn't know about what he's not good at."

"What about the the wizard and his apprentice?"

"Tohru isn't Uncle's apprentice anymore; he's a full wizard. I don't know enough about chi magic to know what their weaknesses are."

Shendu scoffed. "The child is nearly useless! There is nothing she knows that could be of use to us!"

"I will ask one final question. Is there any way out of the Netherworld that you know of?"

Before learning what Jade's answer to this question was, there is something the reader must know about magic and chi energy. Magic can sometimes behave like radiation; if you get exposed to a lot of it, there are guaranteed to be some biological, and by extension mental, changes. This can be accountable for Uncle's and Tohru's willies, indicating a sensitivity to negative chi. Jade, having been so frequently exposed to both negative and positive chi magic, had developed some rather useful skills, such as having relatively small negative chi spells wear off a little bit sooner than expected.

"No. There's no way out of the Netherworld, none." The lie came to Jade as easily as breathing, just as they always did. She had felt the spell beginning to wear off as she answered Tso Lan's sixth question. She saw the purple fall away from her vision, and Jade pretended to start awake, as she felt was appropriate. Tso Lan looked disappointed, or as disappointed as you can look without a proper face. He sighed and placed the empty vial back in his robes.

"Well, at least I have come up with a solution to our little problem of who gets a servant," Xiao Fung finally spoke up. All heads turned to him. "Remember when Drago first came to the Netherworld, we considered taking turns? Well, now that we have two extra beings imprisoned here with us, we get to have a servant twice as often as we would have before." Jade felt sick. She was going to have to be a servant – to the demon sorcerers? Alongside Drago? This was worse than the whole Demon World incident!

"Here is what I propose. There are eight of us; we pick four of us to own each servant, and that servant is passed along on a four day cycle; say Drago served Bai Tsa, Tso Lan, Hsi Wu and Shendu. He would serve each demon for a day in turn, then go back to the beginning of the list to serve them in that order again. Simple enough, don't you think?"

"Quite; I would never have expected such logic from you, Xiao Fung. You're not usually so intelligent."

"I'm going to ignore that insult for now, Tso Lan, but not for long. Remember that."

Hsi Wu laughed. "I like Xiao Fung's suggestion! I call dibs on the girl; that way I can have my sweet revenge all over again every four days!"

"I also. It would prevent my having to keep a demon in servitude, something too pathetic to even think of, in my opinion." This, surprisingly, from Bai Tsa, flipping her hair tentacles.

Shendu started to say something derisive, but Tso Lan cut him off. "Save it for later, Shendu. We've finally managed to agree on something for once. I, for one, would rather not spoil it."

Tso Lan, Xiao Fung, Dai Gui and Tchang Su all agreed to keeping Drago as a servant; Jade wound up with Bai Tsa, Hsi Wu, Shendu and Po Kong. The two were left on a small rock floating a small distance away from the main island they all seemed to congregate on. Bai Tsa and Po Kong slept on their own, personal islands, while the rest all slept around a pile of salt in the middle.

Jade, thankful that her backpack had been overlooked the whole time, brought out her trail mix. The M&Ms were a little crushed from when she'd been manhandled, but otherwise her food supply was intact. Jade winced, touching her bruises. She had to serve Shendu tomorrow, or be killed. Hopefully any jobs he gave her wouldn't require much musclework. Jade glanced over at Drago, who was sitting cross-legged, his back to her. Cautious, she took one step closer to him. She would rather be on as good terms as possible with him; Jade didn't want to come back home a cripple. Jade shook out a small portion of trail mix into her hand, praying this would work. "Um. Do you want some?"

She had barely finished the sentence when Drago leaped to his feet and snatched the trail mix from her hand, nearly breaking her fingers, and gobbled it up greedily, his red eyes like a wild animal's. Jade had forgotten how fast he was. He then siezed her by the front of her hoodie and snarled right in her face. "MORE!" He hissed. Jade nodded quickly, and brought out the bag which contained the rest. There was no point in arguing with him; she didn't want to get fried.

He let go of her, and devoured the rest of her trail mix in seconds. Jade sighed. Salt it was for the rest of her stay here, then. Panting, Drago sat down, bringing up his knees to rest his arms on them. "You don't have anything else?" he asked in his gravelly voice. Jade shook her head. The young dragon sighed and leaned his head back. The two sat in silence for while.

Finally, Jade summoned the courage to speak. "You seem pretty beat."

"Beat? BEAT?! I am flipping SICK of this shit! I should never have tried to open a gate to the Netherworld!" Jade stared at him. "What's with the look, shrimp?"

"Well," Jade rubbed the back of her aching neck. "Usually demons blame us for their defeats. The J-team, I mean. Hearing you talk like that is – weird."

Drago shrugged. "Having you and your family meddle in world takeover plans is practically a given. There's no point in blaming it on you guys when _they_ should've seen it coming." He jerked his head in the direction of his aunts and uncles. Jade answered with a pondering grunt, and silence reigned on the little rock yet again. Drago eventually yawned and lay on his side, and after a few moments, Jade did the same. Sleep didn't come easily to her these days.

Suddenly, a huge green head shimmered into view. Jade leapt to her feet instantly, knowing who was calling. "Jade," Uncle's voice boomed.

"Shhh! Uncle, keep it down! You'll wake them up!" Uncle's eyes widened in dismay.

"So they did discover you! I had the willies this afternoon, but I couldn't stop and contact you because we were on the road. Are you all right, Jade?"

"Except for a couple bruises, I'm fine. How are Jackie and the rest of the crew?"

"Fine as well, although the Latino boy seems very concerned about your welfare."

"Paco's there? Sweet! But how's Jackie holding up? And what about Viper? Is she along with you?"

"Meh. Ex-thief is not with us. Jackie is frustrated, and keeps trying to find a faster shortcut to the location we're going to use to open your portal. Uncle keeps telling him that he is being foolish, but he never listens!"

Jade grinned. Jackie frequently said the same thing about her. "Tell him that the demons are using Drago and me as servants, and that I won't forgive him if he gets himself killed trying to bust me out. And tell them all I miss them."

"I will do that, Jade. I miss you, too." Uncle's head vanished into the air as Jade sighed.

A hand seized the back of her hoodie. "Gah!" She dangled in front of Drago's face. Jade was too terrified of him to notice, but his eyes were filled with a newfound drive and fire.

"No way out, huh? You're going to take me along with you when you run through that portal, or you're history right here and now, shortstack."

"Notta chance, gecko-face! That portal's mine; only I'll be able to pass through it! That's how it works, isn't it?" Jade was instantly confused when Drago started laughing.

"I seriously doubt your Uncle is on par with the power of the Eight Immortals. If he's opening a portal, then it's a portal that more than one can come through, if they make it fast. You bust out, I'm busting out with you. Capiche?"

Jade's mind raced. She didn't have much choice. At least when he came back, there wouldn't be any demon chi he could go after. Jade nodded fast and furiously. He dropped her, and she landed on her feet, wincing as her ankles absorbed the shock. "Good." Drago went back to his spot on the rock, and went to sleep. Jade lay down, and fell into her uneasy dream world.

_The Next Day_

Jade groaned. Of all the jobs she had expected Shendu to make her do, she had not expected him to make her trim his talons again. He could've at least come up with something new! And the fact that she had to do hew them off with with sharp stones instead of proper shears wasn't helping at all either. It took forever, and Jade's already aching arms were about to give out. And the smell! Didn't he ever use Bai Tsa's water to wash his feet?

Not that her situation was much better than Drago's. Jade glanced over at him. Not too far away, Drago was trying not to get fried by Tchang Su's lightning bolts. The rest of the demons, having no servant to wait on them and nothing else to do, spent their time drinking, bickering, and eating salt. They played old, strange games Jade had never heard of, talked about battles she had only read about in fairy tales, and spent a freakishly long time arguing about the littlest of things.

Jade went back to cutting at Shendu's toenails, arm and back muscles screaming at her to take a rest. But she didn't dare. Not if it meant death by fire. For some reason her mind wandered to the moment when her gaze had rested on Drago, while she was under that spell of Tso Lan's. He had looked like a dried up old rag, holding no hope and filled to the brim with despair. In fact, he had looked like he was about to cry. Drago? Cry? Those were two words she had never thought she would hear in the same sentence. Jade couldn't help but wonder just what kind of horrible ordeal could have so utterly drained the teenage dragon of his vigor and life, of the fire within him.

Suddenly an idea came into her mind. A horrible idea. She had seen that look on his face before, that shocked look of an animal suddenly realizing that it had been mortally wounded. Could they have done it to him? It had been done before, after all. Could Drago's own fire chi have been drained from him, taken in retribution for the demons' own chi? Jade didn't have to imagine what that would have been like for him; she, too, had once had her chi drained from her. Granted, with her it had been all of it, not just a part, but it was chi all the same. It was like someone had ripped out her heart and replaced it with bile. She glanced over at Drago again. He wasn't even attempting to light fireballs. He would've snapped by now and used his powers if he'd been able. Jade felt a deep sympathy for him. No one deserved for such a thing to happen to them, fire demon or not. Chi was something intimate, close to the soul; to have it taken from you was torture, and should be a punishable crime. Rage filled her gut, and strength filled her limbs as she hacked at Shendu's talons all the harder.

How could they? Drago was their family; how could they do something like that to him? It was unimaginable to Jade that even demons could do this to their own flesh and blood and not feel the smallest bit of guilt. Shendu had tried to help Drago out of the abyss once; had Drago's own betrayal severed that bond between father and son, meager though it had been between them? These thoughts occupied Jade's consciousness for the rest of the day, resulting in her not saying a word the whole twelve hours.

_That Night_

Drago and Jade sat back to back on their rock, exhausted from that day's labors. After a while, Jade spoke softly. "I know what it is you're going through, Drago."

Drago's head turned in surprise. Then he glared down at the twelve-year-old. "You have no idea what I'm going through."

"You've had your fire chi taken from you, haven't you?" Jade hoped that she'd been right, otherwise she was going to look very stupid.

Drago was silent. "You still don't know what I'm going through. You've never had to suffer through _this_."

"How do you know I haven't? I've been through a lot of stuff. I've met a Chinese vampire before; sucked my chi right of my body. I needed a transfusion."

Drago snorted. "That's not the same thing at all. A dragon's fire is bound to their life force; I'm only living because my _dear old dad_ isn't willing to kill me off. For a human, having your chi drained is like having your car stolen; you can always get more chi in a transfusion, just like you can always buy a new car. A dragon's chi – or a demon's, for that matter – can't be replaced in any way, shape or form. I can't regenerate the rest of my chi from a little like humans can. My fire chi is gone." He sounded so forlorn and dejected saying that last sentence, Jade had to ask.

"Maybe there's a way to get it back?"

"HA! Not unless you want to commit suicide. I'd have to approach my father while he was sleeping and steal it from him using a spell that only Tso Lan knows how to make. And there's no chance in hell I'm getting it from him. Why are you so interested in helping me anyway, pipsqueak? I'm your enemy."

Jade looked him hard in the eye. "I sympathized. It's something humans do with someone they feel is in a bad situation." He was still her enemy. Just because he was in a bad situation didn't mean she shouldn't still hate him.

"You shouldn't pity me, shortstack. Pitying a demon can get you killed."

Jade made a noise of disgust. "Fine, if that's how you're going to be about it." She walked a few paces away, as far away as she could get on the small island, and lay down. She waited, and after a while, sleep claimed her, whether she liked it or not.

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Drago glared into space. The emptiness within him was a gaping hole, which he tried to keep filled with rage. He glanced back at the brat on the other side of the rock. While as a demon, he despised pity, it somehow felt – comforting, knowing that someone cared enough to sympathize. He had spent much of his life looking into the pitiless, hateful eyes of adults of his kind. This was a change.

He looked over at her curiously, and saw that she had her fists clenched in her sleep, sweat beads rolling down her face. Was she having a nightmare? Well, no wonder at that, she was in the Netherworld. Any human would have nightmares trying to live here. Drago lay on side, shutting his eyes. Anyone would have nightmares trying to live alongside his relatives, human or demon.

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The next few days were filled with backbreaking work. The second day, Jade had to scrub Bai Tsa's tail free of algae while the water demon styled her tentacles in various ways; Drago had to find salt rocks for Dai Gui to break open. The next, Jade had to groom Po Kong for fungus while she devoured enormous amounts of salt; Drago had to find ways to entertain Xiao Fung. At night, they would sit back to back, try to ease their injuries from that day, and bitterly complain about their new masters, bickering about who had it worse.

"I swear, am I their personal groomer? Next they'll be asking me to brush their teeth for them," Jade grumbled.

"Ha! You think you've had it hard, shrimp? You've never had to dodge lightning bolts!" Drago scoffed. "Tomorrow is going to be way worse. Tso Lan finds little use in having a personal servant unless he has a palace to clean or food to cook, so I'm his guinea pig. Some of those spells he's meddling with are _meant_ for torturing people with. It's going to be a living hell."

"Tsh. Experiments? Puh-leeze! Hsi Wu's gonna be kicking me around like a soccer ball all day tomorrow. I'm probably going to end up with a broken arm. Or arms. Maybe a fractured skull. Definitely a lot – a whole lot – of bruises and scrapes and lacerations, whatever those are." Jade moaned. "And then the day after that, it starts all over again." Even Drago groaned at that.

_The Next Day_

While she had been kicked, punched, and attacked without warning many times, Jade had never had to awaken to being kicked in the stomach. It was hard enough to send her flying, slamming her into a nearby island, and falling, only to be snatched up by the sky demon and flung to the ground on one of the larger islands. Jade coughed and wheezed, trying to regain some semblance of breath in her lungs. Hsi Wu landed a few feet away from her. "I need a sparring partner, Jade. You are ordered not to fight back, on pain of death!" A punch clipped on one of her temples, boxing her ear. Before Jade could even process what was going on, Hsi Wu grabbed her ankle, swung her around his head and threw her like a boomerang. Her little form smacked against Po Kong's rock-hard back. Drago, from where he stood bound to a stone pillar as Tso Lan chanted, couldn't help but wince. His wince quickly vanished as Tso Lan cast his spell. "AAAAAAAAGGGGGGHH!" he screamed, longing to clutch at his head, yet unable. Jade, lying and feeling broken in one of the crevices in Po Kong's back, winced. She didn't have much time to sympathize, as Hsi Wu swooped in and grabbed her, pushing her up against a nearby rock to repeatedly punch her in the face.

They spent the whole morning thus, suffering, and in between their sufferings glancing at the other prisoner and pitying them. The two demons finally stopped for lunch, lunging toward the main island so Po Kong wouldn't eat their shares of the salt. Drago remained tied to the pillar with one of Tso Lan's innumerable sashes, ear holes smoking. Jade didn't even have to strength to stand up. She just shifted her her head in just the right angle to look at him. He tilted his to look her in the eye. Jade was too exhausted and hurt to bite her lip, even though that was her first instinct. She found that she just simply couldn't hate him anymore. You couldn't hate someone and know their pain. It just wasn't possible. You'd have to be a complete monster.

The demons came back all too soon. In between the punches, in between the spells, their eyes would meet, full of pain and sympathy. When the day was finally over, it felt like they had spent a hundred years in hell.

Drago groaned, climbing to his feet after being released. He saw Jade lying prone on a nearby rock, and managed to hop over there. "I think he twisted one of my ankles. I'm really shocked I didn't break anything." Drago helped her up, slinging her on his back like a toddler. "Seriously, I must have some kind of guardian angel or something."

He barely managed to get back to their island before he collapsed. They lay head to head, feet facing opposite directions. "I have to clean under Shendu's claws tomorrow, would you believe it?"

"I have to dodge lightning again, in case you forgot, shortstack! At least you get to stay in one place!"

"Excuse me? My arms were killing me from clipping your dad's toenails last time, remember, Scaly? I could barely move my hands."

"I have to run and jump and keep from being struck by _lightning_ until my tail falls off! Your little chores have hardly any real exercise involved!"

"You didn't get beat up by an angry sky demon out for your blood! I swear those claw marks on my back are going to scar -"

"I WAS TORTURED!"

"YOU'RE A DEMON! YOU HAVE THE STAMINA AND STRENGTH OF A DEMON! I'M SURPRISED YOU CONSIDER IT TORTURE!"

"I'M ONLY A QUARTER DEMON, LITTLE PIPSQUEAK! DRAGONS CAN FEEL PAIN!"

"I'M JUST A KID! YOU HAVE THOSE FREAKY DRAGON POWERS -"

"Ssh." It was sudden; his voice was fearful. Jade glanced over at the demons. Bai Tsa stirred in her sleep.

"You have those freaky dragon powers that make you super strong and resilient and stuff! You have to worry less about getting your neck broken!"

Drago let loose a guffaw. "Worry less? Kid, you have no idea how powerless even I am next to _them_. My strength lies mainly in chi magic, and I don't have my fire chi, which means I'm every bit as liable to suffer as any human right now. So I think I can say that _I _have suffered every bit as much as you have, if not more!" Jade chuckled. "What?!"

"I never thought that you'd ever admit to being weak. 'Specially not to one of your enemies."

Drago exhaled. "Well, I'm not fighting you right now, am I? So there's no point in bravado."

They were silent. Jade wondered if this was his way of saying that they weren't enemies when faced with his relatives.

And so for the two of them, the whole cycle began. For them, a week didn't last seven days, it lasted four. And two of their weeks passed before a chance to reclaim something lost passed their way...

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_Well? How do you like? And don't forget to suggest new titles for this story – I really don't want to keep calling it "Grudge Buddies!" TTFN!_


	4. Chapter 4

_Okay, so this is the fourth chapter; sorry for the long wait, real life intervened. So far, still no suggestions. Come on, guys, we're talking a slice of triple chocolate cake here! Well, a virtual slice, but still. I really don't want to keep calling this story "Grudge Buddies;" it doesn't do it justice at all. Still hopin' you'll answer (fingers crossed)_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Jackie Chan Adventures. If I'd owned Jackie Chan Adventures, I would've taken over the story line and spent every penny I had in making as many seasons as possible. I would've made Jade the main character and brought in even more creative villains. (sigh) The possibilities could've been endless..._

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**There Will be a Tournament of Demons – Or, Jade Hatches a Master Plan**

That day, Jade and Drago were finally allowed some rest. The demons seemed to have gotten into another argument. Jade wasn't really paying much attention at first, as she was taking the oppurtunity of Shendu being distracted to rest her arms. But then something snatched at her hearing. "There is only one way to settle this! There will be a tournament of demons!" Xiao Fung seemed to pull a rod from nowhere (where did they get all these things?) and stuck it in the ground. "Four days from now – we will fight in great contest to truly determine which one of us is the most powerful!"

Jade was amazed. Something exciting was going to happen? And four days from now! She and Drago shared a look from a distance. Tso Lan and Hsi Wu wouldn't have a chance to torture them on the Weekend from Hell, as they had nicknamed it. Their bodies might even have a chance to finally heal.

Each demon went their own way, spreading out away from the pole after swearing to meet there again in four days. They would prepare for the tournament in the meantime. Relieved at their early release, Jade and Drago returned to their island, and sat back to back as they normally did, silently checking their wounds. They just sat there for a while, lost in their own thoughts.

Jade stared at her palms. She hadn't heard from Uncle for a while, and she had developed calluses in places she had never thought she would. More than ever now, Jade longed to have her journal back. It had been a comfort to her while trapped in her crevice, a place where her thoughts could be seen and understood, where she could speak of her worst fears and deepest secrets without any fear of – what was it she was afraid of, anyway? All those times she had nearly spoken of her terrors to her friends and family, and she hadn't because she had been overcome with fear. Fear of what? _Something bad,_ a voice deep within her said. _Something really bad._ Was she afraid that her demons would leap from her nightmares and become real if she spoke of them aloud? That was totally silly! Jade shook off those thoughts and tried to think of something else.

A tournament, huh? The argument had seemed awfully heated; they would probably put all their focus into winning until the whole contest was over and they were completely exhausted -

Jade suddenly stood up. That was it!

"What is it, shrimp? Something bite you?"

"I just had an idea about how to get your fire back."

Drago's eyes widened. He sat in silence for a moment. "What the hell are you talking about, shortstack?"

"The tournament! Afterwards, they'll all be too tired to move, if they're putting their all into fighting eachother. Even though they're preparing for it right now, we're still supposed to be their servants. If we make sure the right demons are the most tired in the end..." Jade trailed off, letting Drago deduce what could be done.

His red eyes narrowed into slits, and he shifted his weight, stroking his chin. "Tso Lan still has some of the spell from when he used it on me. If we lift it off him while he's sleeping – we'd have to make sure either he or the old man wins."

"Wins?! Whaddaya mean?"

"The winner or winners will have been fighting for hours; therefore they'll be the most exhausted. We'll serve those two best and the others badly." Drago frowned. He glared suspiciously at her. "What is it you get out of this, shortstack? I don't see this plan of yours doing _you_ any favors."

Jade blinked. She hadn't thought about it. Then it occurred to her. _Talismans._

"Tso Lan has a whole bunch of spell ingredients on him all the time, right?" Drago nodded, still suspicious. "I know how to make a spell that'll get the talismans out of your father!"

Drago laughed. "You're thinking too big, brat. There's no way he won't notice they're gone. He'll be after them seconds after he wakes up. But then again," his eyes narrowed in thought again. "if we managed to get back my powers _and _got the talismans, it might even the odds. We wouldn't have to be their servants anymore."

Jade's eyes grew huge. "Whoa. I didn't think of that."

Drago stared off into the distance. His powers – back? He imagined the flames returning to him, the feeling of being whole again. A grin split his face, filled with sharp, feral teeth and a challenge. He turned to Jade and offered his hand. "It's a deal, shrimp."

Jade took his hand and shook it firmly once. "We'll work together to influence the tournament."

"And we'll both achieve our goals."

_The Yucatan_

Jackie stared at the ground miserably, surrounded by the jungle. To think he'd been relieved at Jade coming along! None of this would've happened if she'd just stayed at home for once. But she couldn't. Jade never could, because that was just who she was.

Jackie gazed up at the star-filled sky. Had he just wanted the spotlight? He had pretended to not enjoy it, pretended that fighting the forces of darkness didn't give him a thrill of excitement, pretended that he didn't like being the hero. Jackie shook himself. He had to admit it to himself now. He had liked having Jade around to look up at him and call him a champion, to say that he could do it, to name a team after him, to be his biggest fan. What was with the whole pretense of humility? Oh, yes, that was right. Heroes needed to be humble about themselves. That was how it worked, wasn't it? The whole kung fu wisdom shit about keeping your temper that he had fed Jade just so he could be a role model for her, was that really what he had thought he lived by? Jackie snorted as he walked around the camp clearing. Bullshit, all of it.

Jade had always been the one who put herself in the middle of it all. She had wanted adventure, but she had also wanted to save the world so the world could live, so that her friends and family could be normal and happy. Jackie had simply wanted to save to world for the sake of saving it, because that was what heroes did. The way their adventures had worked – the way Jade had ended up saving his life so many times, the way she had been put in danger so often, the way she had been forced to face so many threats head-on – was that destiny's way of saying that Jade was supposed to be the hero? It made sense, now that he thought about it. The bizarre coincidence that Jackie had encountered the Dark Hand _on the exact same day Jade had come to Uncle's shop_ – it almost seemed too crazy to be possible. Heroes didn't get sent sidekicks when they found their destinies, it just didn't work that way. Could heroes be sent where they were needed?

Jackie tried to shake off these thoughts. Jade was far too young. But fate didn't care about that, now did it? It had sent children onto the battlefield many times before in the past. So if a savior – a chosen one – could be sent where they would be needed, it wouldn't matter whether they were eleven or a hundred, so long as they were a hero. And a hero Jade certainly was.

Jackie gazed up at stars for a few minutes more, deep in thought. He took up his lamp and reluctantly headed back to his tent, to make another attempt at sleep. He doubted he would succeed. But regardless of whether she was needed, Jackie would keep her safe. Until she was old enough to face the world.

_The Netherworld, a Few Days Later_

Plans were progressing well. Based on Drago's past experience and Jade's observations, they were able to determine which demons were most likely to win. Hsi Wu wasn't among them, so Jade planned to ill prepare him on the day of the tournament anyway. Now he would know what it was like to get beat up.

The demons needed little to prepare, unfortunately. Much of it seemed to be physical and mental training while Drago and Jade sorted their equipment. Luckily, they were able to find ways of distracting some of them without causing suspicion. Jade had once asked why they didn't just prepare all of them well so that Shendu and Tso Lan would be extra tired at the end of it. Drago had reminded her (rather insultingly) that they needed the two of them to win, and some of the demons were capable of defeating them. So long as they both made it to the final duel and fought eachother, Jade and Drago's mission would be half complete.

As likely candidates for defeating Tso Lan, they had listed Bai Tsa and Tchang Su. They had determined that Tso Lan was one of the more powerful demons, so there were few who could stand against him. Bai Tsa and Tchang Su were accordingly ill prepared, as Drago became a very easy target for lightning and Jade was constantly finding ways to interrupt Bai Tsa's meditations. As likely candidates for defeating Shendu, they had Dai Gui, and under certain circumstances, Xiao Fung. Drago managed to accidentally break some of Xiao Fung's supplies, just in case. It had earned him seriously bruised tail and a twisted arm, but it was worth it. Tomorrow was the tournament; Jade had made sure Shendu was ready, but they had no idea about Tso Lan. But tonight they had to rest, and rest well. They had a dangerous task ahead of them.

_ Darkness. Darkness all around. Jade's heart was pounding with fear, but for some reason she was acting calm. Her walk was smooth, and she felt her face smile. She wore black, Jade didn't know why, and it drove her crazy. She wanted to run, to find an escape, but her legs just kept walking. It was like someone else was controlling her, like she was some kind of puppet. _

_ She entered a room, and bowed low. "Hello, Master. You summoned me?" Her mouth spoke, but the words weren't hers. Jade yearned to scream, to demand to know what was going on. Master? Who – but she already knew. In the darkness, she could barely see it, but her skin was blue. Dread settled in Jade's middle, and if she were in control of herself, she would have begun to sweat like a cold glass of water. She rose, smiling a smile she didn't want on her face, and standing before her was an Oni in a red and black karate _gi_, and a smile twitched at his own lips, pulling at the white mustache and exposing yellow fangs. _

_ "Yes, Jade, I suppose I did."_

_ Her face pouted, and she spoke in a voice that Jade now knew for sure wasn't hers. "Master, you know that's not my name anymore." Jade wanted to scream, to run and hide, to return to the light. She wanted to do anything but hear him say it. Anything but that name. _

_ "Ah, yes. You did choose a new name for yourself when you were first born, didn't you? Very well. I have a task for you. I think you'll quite enjoy it, my dear -" Tarakudo said the name. Jade wanted to scream, to run away. The name was terrible, and she was traumatized that she had once said it with her own lips and claimed it was hers. She astrally projected from her body, but found herself unable to leave the room. Jade pounded on the walls with her silent screams. The thing which held her body in its grasp smiled coldly and its pure white fangs seemed to rule the dark room. It turned to look at her, and Jade's blood ran cold. "Yes. I'd like to see you kill that child whose goodness and purity _dared_ to suppress your darkness. Feast well on the other half of your soul, my wonderful little child of the shadows." Tarakudo's laughter echoed throughout the room, making it seemed as if a multitude laughed with glee at Jade's impending doom._

_ "No!" Jade clutched at the walls, clawing at any crevice she could find, but unable to get a hold. The thing started towards her, its shadow engulfing the room, consuming all else and pulling Jade toward it, dragging her across the floor. No matter how hard she clutched, the floor would not hold her fingertips. "No! No! No! Someone help me!" The being's grin widened, a vicious expression on Jade's own face."Please, help! Someone get me out of here! Help!" It came close, claws out and sharpened, ready to pounce. "No! Please, don't! Please, don't do this! Noooooooooooooooooo!" _

Jade wrenched herself awake, gasping for air, sweat rolling down her face as she sat up. It took her a moment to remember where she was. Drago was staring at her from across the rock. Jade gulped and tried to ease her breathing. When her breath felt calm enough, she spoke. "It's nothing."

Drago raised his scaly eyebrows. "Really?"

"Really." Jade glared at him from a distance, daring him to challenge her. He ignored her gaze.

"Seemed an awful lot like you were having a nightmare, pipsqueak." Drago insulted her, as he usually did, but his tone was softer, less brash. Jade didn't reply, but looked away into the distance of the orange sky.

"What are they about?" He spoke quietly.

Jade bit her lip. "An old enemy." Drago nodded in acceptance, but still looked at her with a frown. They sat in silence.

"How long ago was it?" This from Drago. Jade looked up. "When you first faced my father."

Jade blinked in surprise. "Why do you want to know?"

"You and your family have been his enemies for a while now, I know that. It just sort of came to me that you're kind of young to be fighting demons. What did you do before you faced me?"

Jade blinked again. She sat up further, and crossed her legs, deep in thought. She turned to look at him. "That's kind of a long story. You sure you want to know?"

Drago made a show of adjusting himself so he was seated comfortably. "We have hours, shrimp, and neither of us are likely to get back to sleep. What else are we gonna do?"

Jade took a breath, thinking back to that first day. "Well, it all really started almost two years ago. I really wasn't doing well in school, so my parents sent me to America -" Jade told him how she had first faced the Shadowkhan, about discovering the talismans, about coming to Section 13, about facing the demon sorcerers, about Hsi Wu's betrayal and the Queen of the Shadowkhan incident. Jade tried to avoid thinking about it afterwards. She spoke of Daolon Wong and his dark chi warriors, of child kings and chi vampires, of thieving gloves and bad luck emeralds, of folding paper men. All the while, Drago sat watching with an impenetrable expression, listening silently. Jade told him about the talismans being destroyed and the search for their powers, and of Shendu's re-imprisonment and how the talismans were reforged. When she got the part about the Oni, she paused. After taking a shuddering breath, Jade continued her story, her speech becoming broken and hesitant as the tale went on. She felt air return to her lungs after telling Drago about Tarakudo's defeat.

"Then you broke out of Section 13, and, well, you know the rest." Jade bit her lip again.

After a few moments, Drago spoke. "You put the mask on Tarakudo yourself?"

Jade nodded. "Uh-huh. I don't want to talk about it right now." Drago raised one of his eyebrows, but he didn't press the matter.

Jade shook herself. "But enough about me. What about you? What's your life story?"

Drago looked surprised, even shocked. He quickly looked away, and he shifted his seating so it was harder for Jade to see him, but even so, she saw his face. His visage darkened, and he glared out into the distance with a furious hatred seeping out of his red eyes. But there was also sorrow there, as though he remembered something he would rather forget. Jade quietly gulped. "Never mind."

_The Next Day_

The original island had been pushed aside in favor of a much larger one with what seemed to be a deep crater in the center. All the demons were gathering around the edge as Po Kong and Xiao Fung decided on the fighter's roster. Hsi Wu had snatched only half his spell ingredients from Jade, unbeknownst to him. Jade grinned sadistically behind his back. She could hardly wait to see the beating he was going to get. Her only regret was that he was probably going to get beaten in the first round and it wouldn't last for very long.

These thoughts startled her. Where was all this hate coming from? He had betrayed her once, and he'd beat her up every four days for a while, but Jade wasn't usually the type to hold a grudge this serious, or spiteful.

Jade was distracted by seeing Drago across the crater, standing behind Tso Lan. She cautiously put up a hand as a greeting. He gave her the thumbs up. Things were going well. Jade relaxed a little. Now all they had to do was watch the tournament and cross their fingers.

Jade gulped as Po Kong and Xiao Fung came forward. They stood in the center of the crater, and Po Kong cleared her throat.

"First round: first battle. Bai Tsa versus Shendu!" _Here goes nothing,_ Jade thought.

JCAJCAJCAJCAJCAJCAJCAJCA

_Well, this is the fourth chapter. Please, please tell me how you like it in a review, and please, please, please give me some name suggestions! I hate calling this fanfiction "Grudge Buddies." It doesn't suit the story at all, especially not for what I have in mind for it. Remember, virtual chocolate cake if you come up with one I like!_


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